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I have fond memories of Valentine’s Day as a child. My mother, whose “love language” is most definitely gifts and words of encouragement, always had a little something special for us to open. Recently, I came across a box full of gold heart charms, a collection that she began for me many years ago. What a wonderful heritage she passed on to me.

Since I’m too stingy frugal for gifts to be my “love language,” I choose to show my affection through food. So, when I saw these Conversation Heart Brownies from Duncan Hines, I was inspired to make heart-shaped brownies for my peeps.

With FishBoy5’s help, I whipped up a batch of Cocoa Brownies and baked them in a parchment-lined, 9×13 pan, instead of the regular 8-inch square. I baked them for 20 minutes instead of the prescribed 25-30. Using a larger pan made the brownies thinner and gave me a larger surface area to work with for cutting. Baking them on parchment paper allowed me to remove the brownies from the pan more easily and to cool them on a rack quickly. Once they cooled, I simply cut them out with a cookie cutter. And there were quite a few trimmings to, um, dispose of. No problem there!

Brownies are simple enough to make, but putting a little more effort into their shape made them just a little cuter and certainly fanciful. Easy peasy. Gild the lily by sprinkling with powdered sugar or frosting them the way Duncan Hines does.

What do you do to make Valentine’s Day a little sweeter?

Share your recipe in the comments or by linking up below. Please submit only Valentine’s-themed recipes and ideas.

Five participants will each win a free product coupon from Duncan Hines.

Giveaway is open until Sunday night at 8 pm, PST. Winners to be chosen at random. Please leave contact info in your comment so I can find you if you win. This giveaway is now closed.

Hubby and I don’t usually do anything extravagant for Valentine’s Day…just a sweet card and a candy bar or two (and I usually get flowers)…but this year I also picked up a heart-shaped egg/pancake mold that I’m going to use Sunday morning to make a special breakfast. And since I’m pregnant, and extravagant breakfasts have been few and far between, that will make my husband all the more excited!

Last year I gave each of the kids a little box full of coupons that they could redeem once a month the rest of the year. They were things like:
Pick a DVD of your choice to watch with the family
Trip to the zoo
Dinner of your choice (I think this was one of their favorites, they all used theirs up quickly)
Pick a game of your choice to play with the family
Breakfast out with Dad

Thanks for the great ideas! Since we now have 5 children, a romantic Valentine’s dinner for two has become dinner for seven! We have a ball, though! My children decorate the dining room with hearts, I make a special meal for supper, we light candles, and each of our children gets a small, inexpensive present to open. I try to cut any foods that I can into heart shapes–tomato slices on our salad, strawberries on a fruit plate, etc. This year I am going to make heart-shaped yeast rolls and heart-shaped brownies with Valentine sprinkles from Target’s dollar spot. My kids get as excited about Valentine’s as they do for a birthday in our family. It has been so much fun for my husband and I to see THEM have fun!

P.S. I made your Valentine scones earlier this week–my family LOVED them!

i am doing the same thing with my kids for valentine’s day. they are so excited to get to eat heart brownies. i have a question about homemade brownies, when i make them they turn out little brown, does this happen to you? does anyone know what im doing wrong?

Just want to say that I love this blog. I found it through Crystal’s moneysavingmom blog and now read it everyday.

I love the topics, talking points – you write so beautifully I’m often moved by the words written. It makes me want to live in America – are you all so nice? Love the pictures of the beach and family. Feel a bit inadequate though as I only have two children, don’t homeschool but find life hard sometimes.

Katie, how sweet you are! Thank you! What a day brightener this is! (And, no, not everyone in America is as nice as me! Ha! Or just nice.) Please don’t ever feel inadequate compared to me. God has called YOU to something different, and that is a good thing. Plus, I have as many readers who public school as I do readers who homeschool. We’re a mixed bag around here and I love it!

My hubby and little man are having a day together tomorrow and I think I will whip these up while they are gone. So cute and simple, I love it. In the past we haven’t celebrated Valentine’s, but this year my son is having fun with it…so I am going to kick it up a knotch for him this year.

For me and the kids, we just bake in the kitchen together making homemade goodies for others. That is our special time! ON Valentine’s morning, they will find a trail of Hershey Kisses to a special little prize tht I will buy for them.

As far as me and the hubby- we just try and go out to eat. We do not need anything more than that, just eat and spend time together!

I try to do something a little different every year. This year, I am going to hide Hershey kisses all over the house and do a “treasure” hunt and I usually give each child something small (that I’ve picked up cheap with coupons and sales). Usually do heart pancakes but I like the brownies….may do that too. Thanks for good ideas!

Welcome to Life as MOM! I'm FishMama, chief cook and bottle washer around here. I have six kids under 18, and I've lived to tell the tale. Want to know how to make the most out of what you have where you are? You've come to the right place.

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